Sectional boat construction



April 4, 1961 Filed July 29, 1959 Fig.

J. R. ROBLEE SECTIONAL BOAT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY Mao/52h md5/way MW April 4, 1961 J. R. ROBLEE sEcTIoNAL BOAT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1959 Fig. 5

James Hob/ee INVENTOR. Man. BY Www/mgm United Sw@ O SECTIONAL BOAT CONSTRUCTION James R. Roblee, Athol, -N.Y.

Filed July 29, 1959, ser'. Nb. 830,690 i This invention relates to marine transportation and'more particularly to a sectional metal or plastic boat.

2,977,607 `Patented Apr.. 4, 1961 greater in size than the midship section 14 which is also The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of a sectional boat each of which boatsections may be secured on a human beings back forV the. portation thereof by means of a suitable harness used in combination with the boat sections.

Some of the more important features of the invention reside in the provision'of comparatively lightweight'boat sections whichmay be nested one withinl another, the boat sections being of'varying and diminishingfsizes so as to enable the boat'sections to be readily and easily somewhat larger than the bow section 12. The varying sizes of the sections of the boat permit them to be nested as is'shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The bow section 12 may be provided with a prow 18 adapted to cut the water comparatively quietlyrwhile also permitting the beaching of the craft. A coaming may be provided as desired and may be constructed to slope upwardly fromthe prow 18. The bow section terminates in an end wall 22 and is further provided with a bottom transported by a hunter, trapper or other Sportsmen while being especially adapted forV use by armed Y forces in amphibious assaults and in thecrossing of inland bodies of water were they to be encountered.

The construction of this invention features the use of a sectional boat formed froma plurality of boat sections each of which employ a concave bottom adapted to permit more easy carriage of the boat sections since the concave bottom wi-ll encompass a portion of a back of a human being. A false bottom is secured over the concave bottom to provide a horizontal platform for the occupants of the boat when assembled and to also form watertight buoyancy chambersl in the Outboard and lowermost por tions of the boat.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in the provision of a sectional boat that is strong and durable, simple in construction and manufacture, light in weight, easily assembled and disassembled, and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. v

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as l the following description proceeds,V are'attained by-this sectional boat, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example'only, wherein:

Figure 1 isa top plan view of a sectional metal bloat assembled inraccordance with the concepts of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view as taken along the plane of line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating'the manner in which the entire boat assembly may be transported from one location to another by use of a harness in combination with these boat sections;

Figure 4 is a perspective tions in a nested position;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional viewas taken along .the

view illustrating the "boat sec-I` Wall 24 which is concave in shape as is the bottom walls 26 4and 28 of the sections 14 and 16 respectively. It is to be noted that the side walls ofthe section 12 terminate in tubular buoyancy chambers 30 and 32 which are sealed at the ends thereof and adapted to align with the buoyancy chambers 34 and 36 Ofksectivon 14 and the buoyancy chambers 38 and 40 of section 16, It is to be noted that the end wall 22 of section V12 has extensions which seal off the buoyancy chambers 30 and 32.- The end walls 42 and 44 of the midship section 28 are like wise provided withv extensions for'sealing thebuoyancy tubes 34 and 36 as are theend walls 46 and 48. When it is desired to secure the sections together suitable Wing nuts and bolts as is indicated at 50 may be used to secure the sections in abutting relationship. The bolts are passed through suitable aligned apertures in the abutting end Walls of the sections 12, 14 and 16.

False bottoms 52, 54 and 56 are secured to the side walls of the respective sections 12, 14 and 16 and overlie the arcuate concave bottoms 24, 26 and 28 to form pairs of buoyancy chambers 58 and 60, 62 and 64, and `66 and 68 for the sections 12, 14 and 16. These buoyancy chambers, as can Ybe readily seen, are in the lower outboard portions of the boat thus providing means for' substantially reducing the draft of the boat while insuring the buoyancy thereof while providing protection in the form of a double bottom'against accidental damage due to ishoal water or from enemy action were these sectional i boats to be employed by a military force.

Further securing the sections 12, 14 and 16 together are seat members 70 which are provided with pairs of substantially U-shaped Ybrackets 72 and 74 which are adapted to embrace adjacent end walls such as the end walls 22 and 42'as is shown in Figure 2. Obviously, the seat members 72 may be used to embrace a single end wall such as the end wall or stern transom 48. Detachable oar locks 76 may be provided preferably for the midship section 16.

When it is desired to transport the sectional boatfrom one location to another the sections 12, 14 and 16 may be 'nested as is shown in Figures 4 and 5 with the oar lock 76 and the seat members 70 positioned within the section Y12 between the coaming20 and the false bottom 52; Then, with` the prow 18V positioned downwardly the Yentire assembly may be supported in the manner of a pack basket by means of a suitable harness which includes a loop member78 extendingrentirely about the periphery of one of the sections which `has perpendicularly secured to its straps 80 and 82 extending aboutl the nested sections Vand adapted to be secured by meansof adjustable Y Y buckles as at 84 about the shoulders of a human being. Obviously other straps can be used. It is `to be noted thatthe coaming 20 provides means for preventing' any accidental slippage of thestrap Y82 upwardly since it is tapered upwardly and outwardly.

Since from the foregoing, the construction and advantages of this portable sectional boat are readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary, except that it is to be understood that thel sectional boat'10 may be conveniently constructed of a lightweight, durable metal, plastic, fiber glass, or any other material which will be lightweight, durable, and lend itself to conventional forrns of manufacture. i However, since numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to theV precise embodiment shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be readily resorted to as desired.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A portable sectional boat comprising a plurality of lightweight boat sections of varying sizes permitting nesting of a smaller boat section within a larger boat section, a shoulder harness secured about said nested sections providing means for strapping said nested secg tions will conform to the contours of a human beings tions to the back of a human being to aid in the transportation of said boat thereof, said sections being general-v ly the same shape in plan outline and each having a bottom which is concave in shape whereby the largest of said nested sections will conform to the contours of a human beings back and whereby said sections may be closely nested, and a false bottom secured in each boat section overlying said concave bottom forming watertight buoyancy tanks in the bottom outer portions of said boat sections.

2. A portable sectional boat comprising a plurality of lightweight boat sections of varying sizes permitting nestback and whereby said sections may be closely nested, a false bottom secured in each boat section overlying said concave bottom forming water-tight buoyancy tanks in the bottom outer portions of said boat sections, each of said boat sections including opposite side walls having hollow cylindrical tanks secured to the upper edges of said side walls to provide increased buoyancy for the boat while being adapted to decrease chang of said harness, the smallest of said boat sections having an angularly extending coaming preventing accidental slippage of said harness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 510,239 Carr Dec. 5, 1893 727,894 Burton May 12, 1903 933,426 Frost Sept. 7, 1909 1,138,319 Rydell May 4, 1915 1,462,800 Clemmer July 24, 1923 1,575,982 Ferris Mar. 9, 1926 2,443,768 House June 22, 1948 2,735,392 Cox Feb. 2l, 1956 2,741,782 Muller Apr. 17, 1956 2,794,992 Metzing June 11, 1957 

